Based in Glasgow, Scotland, Gill Williamson has had a keen interest in photography since she was at college. She took photographs as part of her job for many years but, after retirement, went back to college to study full time. She now spends much of her time travelling round Scotland in her beloved camper van, shooting beautiful images of the stunning countryside. Gill has won Urban Photograph of the year in the Scottish Landscape Photographer of the year competition, as well as wins and commendations in the Scottish Nature Photographer of the year competition. I spoke with Gill to find out more about her work.
What got you into photography?
At a very young age, I was fascinated with all the old family photos and loved looking at them. When I was a teenager, my mum gave me an Insta Polaroid, and I loved the instant prints.
Before leaving school I had the choice of going onto study sport or art. My art teacher recommended that I study graphic design but, in the end, I attended P.E. college in Edinburgh. The syllabus had three distinctive learning areas covering the social aspect of sport, sport science and the artistic side of sport. The college had cameras and a tutor that taught photography and it was my first experience of developing film. I was keen to take photos of different sports, although this was mainly after classes when we would make use of the facilities practising various sports.
After college I decided not to move into education and instead began a career in leisure management. I didn’t really do much photography in my 20s, but I did manage to get tickets to Wimbledon and borrowed cameras from the council I was working for to shoot there. I enjoyed the experience but quickly learned that even with a reasonable seat, the camera and lens combination I had wasn’t enough to capture the action (and this was in the days when the umpire constantly reminded the spectators that no flash photography was allowed!).
My work in leisure management changed as I moved back to Glasgow for a promotion. And it was this move that spurred me on with my photography. I found a couple of Canon cameras languishing in a cupboard and began to take photographs of some of the sports activities across the five sports centres the council managed. At the same time, this particular council had built and opened an Arts Centre with a darkroom, so I asked my boss to allow me to attend classes to learn how to use it. This really deepened my interest in photography and some of my work was used for flyers and posters advertising the sports centres and classes. When an amalgamation of local authorities changed my role to that of business development officer, I became responsible for producing a monthly board report. Instead of a boring black & white format, I made use of colour – covering lots of sporting events each month and choosing appropriate images for the 30-page report.
With lots of sporting contacts, I had the opportunity to cover football matches for a 3rd division team and, around the same time, my partner was competing at national level rowing, so I had plenty of opportunity to capture the action, and my images were used by many local newspapers. I continued to cover sports action for a few years and joined a camera club, becoming president for two years.
I took early retirement in 2011 and decided to study photography at college. Initially I was aiming for HND level, but I enjoyed it so much I continued to study to full degree level. It was the best four years ever! I learned so much about photography and it introduced me to other disciplines that I never thought I would enjoy.
I bought a camper van just as I was separating from my partner and had a gap of three months before I got the keys to my new place. So I thought I’d travel around Scotland revisiting places I like. It worked out brilliantly for photography and has become something of a way of life. I even go away in winter to places like Glencoe to get shots as I shoot a calendar every year that is sold to raise proceeds for mountain rescue.
Do you have a favourite genre of photography and why? Tell me a bit more about what you shoot.
Obviously, I really enjoy landscapes and anything that’s connected to nature. I think it’s partly because I’m in Scotland and I really like the landscapes. The Isle of Harris and the Shetlands are particular favourites. But I also enjoy street photography and sports, although I’m not around it so much anymore. I also really enjoy wildlife photography and trying to capture the action.
When I did my HND one of the topics was fashion, which I really wasn’t expecting to enjoy. But I actually had lots of fun. Our theme was ‘fantasy fashion’ and I had a friend who worked in the costume department at the Scottish National Opera, so she lent me lots of outfits. I enjoyed using my imagination to produce a shoot.
What kind of influences do you draw inspiration from?
My inspiration comes from nature and being out and about in it. I observe things and look at the details when I’m sitting somewhere pleasant. It sparks creativity and you start thinking about how things would look in a photograph. I also find the weather inspiring – when the weather is cold, foggy or raining you get the opportunity to capture something different!
Do you have any favourite photographers or creative influences that have informed your photographic style, and why?
I enjoyed watching Annie Lebovitz work in an online talk. And I really enjoy street photography images from the past and in black and white. Oscar Marzaroli was Italian and lived in Glasgow, documenting it through the 1960s and 70s. I also like Joan Eardley who took portraits of her Glasgow family as well as shooting landscapes. I have visited Catterline to see her cottage.
As a young teenager a friend lent me the Close to the Edge album by Roger Dean. Not only did I like the music, I also just loved the album covers and the fantasy element of the images he painted. I have a similar response to Dali’s work as well.
I also appreciate architecture for shape and form and especially the Riverside Transport Museum in Glasgow. And of course I couldn’t forget Rennie Mackintosh – I couldn’t leave him out as I’m Scottish!
What kit do you shoot with and what’s your favourite bit of kit?
My favourite piece of kit is the campervan, because it gets me to all the places I want to go and allows me to capture landscapes.
I’m currently shooting with a Fuji XT5 and XT2, with 16-55mm and 70-300mm lenses. I have just bought a Lensbaby Velvet as well but haven’t had much of a chance to play with it. I also have a Ricoh all-weather camera that can be used underwater. I am also enjoying the XT5 as I’ve only had it a couple of months.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m working on my yearly calendar and sorting out images for the major competitions. I’ve won and had commended images in both the Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year and the Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year.
What would you say is your goal with your photography?
I have just unpacked a load of boxes with slides and negatives in them, so my plan is to scan these and hopefully put together an exhibition. I’m planning to approach the local council and see if they’re interested in exhibiting some of my old council sports photography work.
I’d also like to return to the documentary work I did at college.
As a female photographer, do you feel that you face any particular challenges? Do you feel that the industry is favourable towards women, or would you like to see any changes?
When I was shooting football, I’d get sent to different stadiums to cover a match and found that the male photographers just ignored me. They wouldn’t chat to me or give me tips and I did find it quite intimidating. Men’s football was undoubtedly difficult for women. It might be a different matter now of course.
I think photography is getting easier for women, but it does depend on what genre you’re shooting. I was pleased to see on my college and university courses that there was a fairly even split of male and female students. But when I was in a camera club, the majority of the photographers were male, with many of them being retired. Unfortunately, they often still had the mindset and attitudes belonging to the workplaces of the 1970s and 80s!
What advice would you give to budding photographers?
Just get out there and shoot as much as you can, taking yourself out of your comfort zone. You never know what you might capture. Try as many things as possible – the only genres of photography I don’t do are weans (kids) and weddings.
You can view more of Gill’s stunning imagery on her Instagram page.
